2018 CleanTechnica Car of the Year Finalists — Vote Today!

It’s time to vote on the electric car released between Q3 2017 and Q2 2018 that you think will have the most positive impact on the world. This is our 3rd annual CleanTechnica Car of the Year award, with the first two winners being the Tesla Model X and Chevy Bolt.

For our annual Car of the Year award, members of the CleanTechnica editorial team first narrow the choices down to 4 finalists, and then the winner is selected by voters — you.

The goal of the award is not to project a sales winner or even to pick your favorite new electric car. The goal of the award is to give props to the model likely to have the most positive net impact on society. That includes the benefit that comes from directly cutting pollution itself — from buyers choosing the car over a more polluting car — as well as the car’s influence on the market at large. When voting, you should consider the impact in 2018 but also the impact you think the car will have into the indefinite future. With those points in mind, on to the finalists!

BAIC Arcfox Lite: BAIC’s EC180 has been crushing the rest of the gigantic Chinese electric car market* in the past year. The new Arcfox Lite probably can’t replace the EC180 at the top of the tables, but it’s one of the most interesting, compelling, and fun electric vehicles we’ve seen join the Chinese market in recent years. (*The Chinese electric car market is approximately the same size as the rest of the world’s electric car markets combined. Sometimes it’s a bit bigger, sometimes it’s a bit smaller.)

New Nissan LEAF: With a bigger battery, new design, and ProPILOT, the new Nissan LEAF looks like a compelling electric vehicle that competes to a huge degree with the gas cars in its class. With Nissan’s willingness, eagerness, and capability to produce a good number of LEAFs, we could see it being one of the blockbuster electric vehicles of this year and also coming years. Will it see more sales and have more impact than the other cars on this list? That’s for you to decide.

Honda Clarity: The Honda Clarity is unique on this year’s list. All trims of a car are to be considered together for the CleanTechnica Car of the Year vote, and the Clarity is the only model in the 2018 race that has multiple powertrains. It includes the Honda Clarity PHEV, which seems to be a highly attractive option for buyers who want a car that can drive on electricity for most use, has an ample and comfortable interior, and comes at an affordable price tag. If someone wants a pure electric vehicle, the Clarity EV is on the way too, with most of the same attractions. And if someone wants a hydrogen car, aside from needing multi-million-dollar hydrogen fueling stations and a bigger bank account, the Clarity FCEV could be their new commuter. (For my take on hydrogen cars, see: “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars — #Fail, In Depth.”)

About the Author

Zachary Shahan Zach is tryin' to help society help itself (and other species). He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the president of Important Media and the director/founder of EV Obsession and Solar Love. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada.
Zach has long-term investments in TSLA, FSLR, SPWR, SEDG, & ABB — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in these particular companies and feels like they are good cleantech companies to invest in. But he offers no professional investment advice and would rather not be responsible for you losing money, so don't jump to conclusions.

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